EU Sticks With Carbon Plan, U.K. Ups Reduction Target to 80%

Europe’s carbon plans looked shaky this week as countries like Germany, Italy and Poland complained the plan would hurt their competitiveness. But ABC News reported that European Union countries have agreed to maintain their targets and schedule to tackle climate change.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy made the announcement at the end of a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels.

Britain has also attempted to weaken European proposals to reduce carbon emissions. However, this week Ed Miliband, Britain’s new energy and climate change secretary, pledged to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The move replaces Britain’s current 60 percent carbon emissions target, the Guardian reports.

Miliband also pledged to revise the energy bill to create “feed-in tariffs,” which would allow small-scale energy producers to sell electricity at a guaranteed price.